The Wellness Edit: discipline vs motivation

Going to the gym, taking part in regular exercise, or completing any form of physical activity is often a popular goal to have with many of us recognising the benefits that exercise has on our physical and mental health. As with many goals, there might be obstacles in the way of achieving them or simply that over time, the desire to achieve a goal doesn’t outweigh the effort needed. This is often referred to as motivation, which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as the need or reason for doing something. Today’s article will address the importance of motivation for fitness but also consider how discipline comes into play in achieving goals.

If you only feel motivated once every two weeks, then you probably aren’t going to see the results that you are looking for and this is when motivation is not the best driver for achieving goals

Regarding fitness, motivation might appear to look a certain way like becoming stronger or running a certain distance. However, there are often underlying reasons too which should push us to ask why that little bit further. Maybe you want to lose weight because you have a dress you want to fit into, or perhaps you want to become stronger because you want to be able to lift heavier items at work. Often goals are reflective of specific changes in our daily lives and this is what makes up our motivation. However, motivation is also linked to enthusiasm and the energy to complete the steps for a goal continuously. For example, it is unlikely that every day you wake up and find the motivation to go to the gym or run, you may simply feel tired or unbothered about your goal. Other days, you may feel excited to do your daily exercise and these days might be enough to achieve your goals without having to work out when you don’t feel like it.

However, some of us might not have the motivation to hit us at the right time – if you plan to go to the gym first thing when you wake up, your tiredness as the alarm rings might outweigh your desire to go to the gym. In contrast, you might spend each night getting your outfit ready for your run because you are excited to keep working towards your goal. In other cases, we simply might not have enough motivation to keep us consistent enough to achieve our goals. If you only feel motivated once every two weeks, then you probably aren’t going to see the results that you are looking for and this is when motivation is not the best driver for achieving goals.

For people with specific goals that require a lot of training, discipline is often essential to see the results and it can also be the most effective way to incorporate fitness into your daily life

It is at this point when discipline becomes more important. Discipline is defined as conditions or training made to make people able to control themselves. This is often through obedience, and involves following through with goals even when motivation is not there. Applying discipline as well as motivation to your fitness goals means promising yourself that you will keep working towards your goals even when you don’t necessarily feel like it. This could be by consistently working out each morning or understanding that if you skip a workout in the morning you will make up for it in the evening. For people with specific goals that require a lot of training, discipline is often essential to see the results and it can also be the most effective way to incorporate fitness into your daily life consistently over time rather than occasionally.

If you struggle to find the motivation to go to the gym, it may be that you need to become more disciplined and take the time to review when the best time to go is, and plan it into your schedule so attending the gym is just as important as attending a university class for example. If you work on making it a non-negotiable, then you might find it easier to incorporate instead of  simply waiting for motivation to strike which may not be at the most convenient time.